“Bexley is a safe and supportive place to work with highly creative work undertaken by a skilled and well supported workforce – Ofsted 2018”
The Council, its staff and partners, were delighted in August 2018, when Ofsted judged the overall effectiveness of children’s social care services to be ‘outstanding’! We were especially pleased that our investment in frontline practitioners and managers was recognised. We have been working hard to create an environment where social workers can do the work they came into the profession to do - to support and help families to stay together where this is in children’s best interests and it is safe enough for this to happen.
Ofsted judged that we provide strong management oversight of practice, that we have a well – embedded practice framework to enable meaningful family focused help, that we offer clear progress in career pathways, a talent management scheme and a nurturing environment to enable social work to flourish. We believe deeply in relationship based practice and ‘Signs of Safety’ is the vehicle enabling us to do this respectfully and in collaboration with the people we are trying to help.
We have an established family engagement group, FL.A.RE (Family Learning, Advocacy & Restorative Engagement) who support us with practice development and delivery and front line practitioners have the opportunity to be part of this work.
Practitioners are invited to contribute to our Learning & Development offer in Bexley and to enhance Continual Professional Development, there is opportunity to co-design and deliver training if this is of interest.
Here in Bexley, we recognise that our greatest asset is our workforce. Staff well-being is important to us and you will have access to our weekly staff well-being drop in sessions, our Employee Assistance Programme and our corporate offer of emotional and physical well-being sessions.
If this sounds exciting and reassuring, we want you to get in touch with us. Our workforce is stable with a high level of permanent staff but we are always looking for practitioners wanting to come and practice confidently as part of our team making a difference for families and children. We will invest in you in return for your investment in our families and children.
Do you think you have what it takes to join our team of excellent, creative and dedicated social work professionals?
Children with Disabilities Team
Our Children with Disability Service safeguards and promotes the welfare of children in line with Children Act 1989 and 2004, Children & Families Act 2014 and Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance 2015.
We work with the SEN education department to implement the biggest education reforms in a generation for children and young people with special educational needs which became law in September 2014. In line with the Children and Families Act (SEND Reforms).
We work with Children in Need, Looked After Children & Children subject to Child Protection Plans. We also work to the Public Law outline and initiate care proceedings.
We keep children and young people at the heart of our work. We listen to children, respect their views and champion their rights ensuring that each child’s voice informs the work that we do.
We have a permanent management team, and you will receive monthly reflective supervision, training and professional development as part of the role. There are regular team meetings and development opportunities as well as opportunities for career progression.
This specialist role forms part of the Children with disabilities service. The post holder will provide social care advice for the EHCP process; Supporting Families coordination; Support to schools and early help professionals in the communities together with the DISCO as part of the prevention of children and young people needing statutory Social Care services.
The post holder will need to be experienced in supporting families displaying challenging behaviour to bring about positive change for them and have experience of multi-agency working to support families. This generic role requires the post holder to have transferable skills and to work flexibly across a range of specialisms e.g. parental domestic violence, parental mental health, parental substance misuse and children at risk of school exclusion. The role requires a dedicated and specialist worker who has in depth knowledge of SEN and the Supporting Families agenda.
The post holder will be required to deliver input and training in specific areas of specialist work to colleagues and other professionals in support of the objectives of the service.
No direct supervisory responsibility however, there may be requirement to assist in induction and training of peers and new employees. As a Children with disabilities SEN Keyworker, you will be involved in ensuring that outcomes for Supporting Families are identified and achieve payment by results in line with government guidance. You will also be ensuring that all children with SEN in Bexley have their social care needs fully considered as part of their EHCP where they are not known to other children services within the council.
For an informal discussion about the role please contact Team Managers [email protected], [email protected].
Candidate Profile
The Post holder will need to have Significant experience in a relevant field (which may include):
Social Work, Teaching, Psychology, Psychotherapy, Youth Work, Counselling, Probation, Health Professions, Education, Early Years.
A minimum of 2 years’ experience of working with families, children and young people in educational settings or children in need and/or child protection.
Experience of applying evidence based approaches and theoretical frameworks in undertaking assessments and developing interventions for children and families.
Knowledge of advice, support and sign posting for families to enable them to achieve positive and sustainable change and improving outcomes.
For the full list of essential and desirable criteria for this role then please refer to the Person Specification within the Job Description attached.
Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) .
Bexley is a vibrant and diverse outer London Borough nestled in the Thames Gateway between London and Kent which means it combines the perfect blend of city vibe and the tranquillity of Kent. It's got award-winning parks, open spaces, and heritage sites. The borough has excellent transport connections, including the Elizabeth Line and proximity to the M25. Bexley offers fantastic amenities such as libraries, leisure centres, and shopping areas. Our borough is also home to numerous primary and secondary schools, as well as further education institutions.
Our Offer to you
We will offer you in return a package that includes a competitive salary, coaching and mentoring programmes, an excellent pension scheme and generous annual leave plus bank holidays. For more information on the benefits package on offer please refer to the Candidate Information document attached.
Recruitment Information
As a disability confident employer Bexley welcomes applications from people with all disabilities, including hidden disabilities and mental health conditions. We will interview any disabled applicant who meets the minimum criteria. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made to any part of the recruitment process due to your disability, please contact us on [email protected]
This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
This role may be available as a development opportunity through secondment for the Council’s existing employees. The Council’s Secondment Scheme can be found here. If this option is of interest, please contact the recruiting manager.
We reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date.
